Lenihan, Engel, Gilbert and more - Middlesbrough injury update with potential return timeframes
Michael Carrick is not expecting any new Middlesbrough players back from injury for a few weeks now - though recent boosts on the injury front have left his squad looking strong again.
Having struggled in the early weeks of the campaign to shake off last season's injury woes, the picture is beginning to improve at the Riverside. Jonny Howson and Matt Clarke both returned to action in Wednesday evening's victory over Sheffield United, with Tommy Conway back last Saturday.
Marcus Forss recently returned by making two sub cameos too, while Dael Fry has been back in training for almost a month. With the pair longer-term absentees, they were both set to have a step-up as far as their recoveries are concerned by playing for the under-21s in Friday evening against Aston Villa.
READ MORE: Key Middlesbrough duo expected to make big next step towards recoveries from long-term injuries
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As for the other Boro players, however, Darragh Lenihan, Alex Gilbert, Tommy Smith, Lukas Engel and Alex Bangura are still some weeks away from returning as they all look to get over longer-term issues.
Offering an injury update and potential return timeframes ahead of Sunday's trip to Norwich City, Carrick said: “Everyone came through Wednesday night with no problems. We have Dael and Marcus back in and around the group and they’re going to play some important minutes for the under-21s this evening.
"Beyond that, everyone else is at least a few weeks away yet. Darragh has had a few little issues that have held him back in and around his ankle and his Achilles. He’s been out for a period of time so won’t be back certainly before the next international break.
"Lukas is a little bit further, Tommy [Smith] and Alex [Bangura] are longer-term. Hopefully Alex Gilbert over the next couple of weeks will be back with us. The squad is looking a lot stronger at the moment and hopefully that can continue.”
Lenihan will be hoping his problems can ease in the weeks ahead as he desperately seeks a return after over a year out. His last competitive game came last September before he had ankle surgery a month later. He returned and played some action during pre-season this summer but had trouble with tendinitis in his Achilles which has complicated his return.
Engel, meanwhile, has been absent since the Carabao Cup second-round defeat to Stoke City. As well as a fractured wrist, the Dane had played the early weeks of the season with a groin issue and they were finally able to take him out of the firing line when Neto Borges arrived from Clermont Foot. Gilbert is expected to be the next Boro star back after his positive start to the season was halted by a knee injury suffered in training ahead of the Sunderland game. Feared far worse than it transpired, the 22-year-old is getting nearer a return to training.
As for Sunday's trip to Carrow Road, Carrick is highly likely to heading to Norfolk with the same squad of 20 that beat Sheffield United on Wednesday evening. Whether he makes any changes to the starting 11 after Emmanuel Latte Lath came off the bench to score the winning goal remains to be seen.